By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
Katie Paschal and her Williamston Tigers are the last area girls team still playing.
The top-ranked Tigers (25-0), who won the Four Rivers Conference regular season and tournament championships, face conference rival Perquimans (17-9) in tonight’s second-round game of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A state playoffs.
Williamston, behind Paschal’s 36 points, captured a 66-55 win over Gates County in Monday’s first-round game. The Pirates, the No. 4 seed out of the Four Rivers, cruised to a 69-44 win over Creswell.
The winner faces either SW Onslow (15-4), the Coastal Plains Conference champions, or North Edgecombe (15-6), the No. 2 seed in the Tar Roanoke Conference, in Friday’s sectional championship game.
The Tigers defeated the Pirates three times already this season, including a 78-37 victory in the conference tournament. Williamston posted a 69-67 comeback victory at home, and a 75-44 win at Perquimans.
Paschal, who will play with the East Carolina Lady Pirates next season, needs just six points to reach the 3,000 mark in her career. She would join Clinton’s Danyel Parker (3,225 points from 1986-89), Eden Morehead’s Amy Simpson (3,067 points from 1995-99), Smoky Mountain’s Cetera DeGraffenreid (3,039 points from 2003-07) and Terry Stanford’s Shea Ralph (3,002 points from 1993-96) in reaching that mark among North Carolina prep players.
The senior is averaging 33.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.8 steals and 5.4 assists per game.
Zakkeya Morris is averaging 10.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Cassie Harrell is coming up with 7.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
Courtney Wynn is contributing 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.4 assists a game.
Two area boys teams, Plymouth and Columbia, survived the opening round of the state playoffs.
The Plymouth Vikings (15-9), the No. 2 seed and conference tournament champions out of the Four Rivers Conference, took a 76-73 win over Lejeune in Monday’s first-round game. Plymouth will play host to SE Halifax (11-14) in tonight’s second-round game. SE Halifax, the No. 4 seed from the Tar Roanoke Conference, advanced after upsetting Mattamuskeet 61-51 in overtime. The Lakers, the Tideland Conference champions, finished with a 17-7 record.
The Plymouth-SE Halifax winner will take on either Weldon (23-1), the Tar Roanoke Conference champions, or Jones County (13-10), the No. 2 seed from the Coastal Plains Conference, in Friday’s sectional championship game.
The Columbia Wildcats (17-4), the No. 2 seed from the Tideland Conference, will play at Perquimans (16-10), the Four Rivers Conference regular season champions, in tonight’s second-round game. Columbia advanced with a 74-72 overtime win against Williamston. Perquimans knocked off Gates County 61-50 in the first round.
The winner takes on either SW Onslow (15-2), the Coastal Plains champions, or North Edgecombe (17-5), the Tar Roanoke Conference No. 2 seed, in Friday’s sectional title tilt.
HIGH SCHOOL
BASKETBALL
STATE PLAYOFFS
SECOND ROUND
GIRLS
Perquimans at Williamston
BOYS
SE Halifax at Plymouth
Perquimans at Columbia